He found employment in a construction firm in Saudi Arabia, eventually establishing his own firm, Saudi Oger.

He became the personal contractor for Prince Fahd, who went on to become king of Saudi Arabia, and amassed a fortune that propelled him into the US magazine Forbes as one of the richest 100 men in the world.

A flamboyant figure, he was well regarded among international leaders, counting French President Jacques Chirac as a close friend.

When he returned from Saudi Arabia in 1992 as prime minister, he was seen as a breath of fresh air in a country dominated by former militia leaders.

Ordinary people pinned hopes on the dynamic tycoon to restore Beirut's pre-war reputation as a leading financial centre.

He put the country back on the international financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow and beg for reconstruction money.

Feud with Lahoud

But his economic record was mixed: his ambitious borrow-and-build schemes left massive public debt and budget deficit, which pushed up interest rates and slowed growth.

Image copyrightAFPImage caption
A statue of Hariri stands at the site where he was killed in Beirut

He was accused of ignoring the poor, despite his long record of funding charitable causes.

Ordinary Lebanese began to judge him by the same standards of cynicism applied to other politicians, many of whom had made their fortunes in civil war activities.

When he left power in 1998, it came about partly because Hariri was reluctant to play second fiddle to President Emile Lahoud, a former army chief.

Hariri's legacy was further tainted by accusations of corruption and he also faced criticism for saddling the country with big debts.

But Hariri returned in October 2000, taking his old job back off the political veteran Selim al-Hoss.

He presided over a revival in Lebanon's tourism industry, largely thanks to hundreds of thousands of visiting Gulf Arabs.

But he again fell out with his pro-Syrian government colleagues during the crisis over the extension of President Lahoud's term in office.

He never overtly came out against Syria in the dispute, but his resignation in October 2004 was taken as a clear protest against the Syrian pressure to keep Mr Lahoud in office.